Tag Archives: Ata Hingano

Full disclosure: I thought long and hard about the value of writing another 1000 words about another disappointing evening watching our beloved Warriors. This past month, in particular, ever since the finals dream was over, it’s felt like everyone — players, coaching staff, media, fans — has been going through the motions waiting for this nightmare to end. And now, mercifully, that the end is here, there seems little need to explore the minutiae of the final nail in the coffin. The post-mortem results will be written in due course — the embalming solution has been injected and the superficial evidence has been recorded — but for a crime as severe as this season, it’s important not to rush things, it’s crucial that the examination is as thorough as possible. Continue reading It’s All About Completion→

Here at NRL Warrior HQ, I’m a little too frustrated to come up with an interesting anecdote this week, too downcast to wade through the darkness in search of a glimmer of sunshine. So, instead, I’ve decided to change things up: it’s question time.

In an ideal world, I’d like to ask a bunch of questions and have them answered immediately, but, since I couldn’t find an SP Kearney in the White Pages, you’ll have to picture an imposing man nodding his head slowly with his arms crossed while you read the questions and then use your imagination to come up with the answers. Full disclosure — I have so many questions about this season, recent events and the future, I decided to stick with the Set of Six format, focused largely around Friday night against Souths, mainly because I think it’s about all any of us can take right now. Then when I’d written six questions, I had to throw in one more. And then another. I also decided to treat this as a press conference, so all questions are directed at Stephen Kearney, although I appreciate some of the questions relate to the organisation as a whole. Here goes: Continue reading A Bunch of Questions→

As Isaiah Papalii touched down for the first time in his NRL career, a spark ignited in my brain. Maybe it was the cold air restricting blood flow to my vital organs, but for a split second I thought I was onto something revolutionary, something that could change the game of rugby league, and in turn the direction of the New Zealand Warriors, forever.

Embed from Getty ImagesSaturday night was a tight tussle, with all three results in play right until Javid Bowen pounced on a loose ball and went the length of the field with a minute to go. The loss leaves the Warriors’ season in tatters — the hammer poised to smash that final nail into the coffin at any minute. Yet another year is set to pass in Warrior Nation without a taste of the playoffs. Another season that’s failed to meet even the humblest of expectations.

Townsville is a difficult place to go, and the Cowboys are a good side — even without Johnathan Thurston. In other circumstances, this would have been an acceptable loss, if there is such a thing. We’d sit back now and reflect on a game that was evenly fought and could so easily have swung the other way. Both Mason Lino and Kieran Foran looked certain to score — Lino in the first half and Foran in the second — until Gavin Cooper intervened. On another day, we might highlight the positives, might look to build on the good moments. But, unfortunately, Saturday night’s loss means there’s very little to build towards. It leaves us waiting for that hammer to fall, with very few reasons to be optimistic about the six games still remaining in 2017. Continue reading Too Little, Too Late→